


Afraid - The Neighbourhood

by QueenMaureen



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Bonding, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Captain Canary, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Leonard Snart Lives - ish, Mild Language, Minor Sara Lance/Leonard Snart, References to Canon, Song Lyrics, Songfic, Unresolved Romantic Tension, the neighbourhood - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 06:53:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11549835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenMaureen/pseuds/QueenMaureen
Summary: I'm sorry for the cliche song fic, but I've got major hiatus blues and I couldn't help myself.





	Afraid - The Neighbourhood

**Author's Note:**

> This is written super close to canon, as in I had to go watch multiple episodes I wanted to reference and quote. So, if you're looking for something fresh and new, sorry. If you're looking for a new perspective on the canon storyline, then... I dunno, I was going to say "this is your fic" or something like that, but that's too cheesy. Have fun, I guess!

"Afraid" - The Neighbourhood

_(www.youtube.com/watch?v=LILL0AV0938)_

 

\---

 

_"When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place"_

 

Leonard awoke to searing cold and empty darkness, burning heat and blinding light. _Heaven and Hell,_ he thought. _How fitting._ There was no surface for him to rest as he hurtled through the vast void.

He was completely and utterly alone, watching his life flash before him.

 

\---

 

_"Paid that money, fake that dummy, ache my tummy / On the fence, all the time / Paid junk honey, face so sunny, ain't that funny"_

 

_(1.7)_

 

Leonard sighed, huddled in the cold next to Sara. "Closest I ever came to dying was, uh... the day I met Mick."

"Why does that not surprise me?" she replied, a smirk slipping through her shaking lips.

Snart smiled, fondly remembering in what he assumed to be his last moments. "It wasn't like that. It was my first day in juvie. I was fourteen and the smallest kid in there by far. Some of the older kids wanted to make sure I knew it. So, they jumped me. I fought back, but... one of them had a shiv, and I figured that was it..."

Sara wrapped in his coat, the pair clutched each other closer, attempting to stay warm in the freezing cargo bay.

 

\---

 

_"All my friends always lie to me / I know they're thinking / You're too mean, I don't like you, fuck you anyway"_

 

_(1.9)_

 

Cuffed to the ship, Leonard tried to swallow his apprehension. Like an itch, it simply grew the more he focused on it. "So, uh..." Snart began, not sure how to approach the bounty hunter, "what's so special about me? I mean apart from my sparkling personality. You took me instead of Rip. Why?"

Only silence echoed through the time ship.

Frustrated, he exclaimed, "Look, if you're gonna kill me, you could at least tell me what's going on!"

Chronos slowly turned toward him, green light reflecting off his dog-like mask. "You should have figured it out by now. After all, I am supposed to be the dumb one."

As the bounty hunter removed his mask, Snart's world screeched to a halt. Before him stood not a Time Master, but his best friend and partner. The man he offered to execute, the man he couldn't kill, the man he let live. The man who now was going to kill him.

Snart sat in shock, as frozen as his alias. Speechless for once, he grasped for words. "...How??" More silence. "I think I deserve to know what the hell is going on here!" he yelled, losing his eternally cool demeanor.

All he received in return was contempt from the man who used to be closer than a brother.

 

\---

 

_"You make me wanna scream at the top of my lungs / It hurts but I won't fight you"_

 

_(1.7)_

 

Considering that in the past the two partners had always seemed to operate on the same wavelength, no one was more shocked and wounded than Leonard when Mick betrayed the team. His best friend, whom he had been ready to praise with his dying breaths.

"What are you doing, Mick?" Snart asked cautiously, afraid of the answer yet afraid of showing fear.

"I'm getting us home," Rory replied. "Are you in?"

As Leonard stepped forward, he felt like he was being torn in two, ripped down the middle, forced to choose between the old friend who had saved his life and the new friend who had been ready to die alongside him. His mind spinned while he powered up the cold gun. "Yeah," he whispered, "time to choose a side, I guess."

Looking from his partner to the small blonde behind him, Snart knew there was no question about what he would do.

"Chosen."

 

\---

 

_"You suck anyway / You make me wanna die"_

 

_(1.7)_

 

"Step away from the time drive, Mick." Sara's voice halted the thief in his tracks.

"I'll tell you what, Blondie. Walk away and I won't kill you."

"You know I can't do that."

"I like you, Sara. You got a lot of guts. That's why I'm only gonna kill you a little bit."

Both instantly seemed to fly at each other, evenly matched. He was stronger than her, but she was quicker and smarter. Racing into the room, Snart was horrified when his friend found a chance to hit Sara squarely in the arm with a wave from the heat gun.

"Mick!" he shouted, catching the man off guard and freezing him in his steps.

"What are you gonna do, Snart?"

Leonard remained silent.

 

\---

 

_"When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place / When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might end up being me"_

 

_(1.1)_

 

The bar teemed with life as Mick grinned, holding up three bottles. "Dollar beers! You got to love the '70s." Laughing, he drunkenly walked up to a juke box in the corner, and within moments "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tennille flooded through the dingy room.

"You want to dance, Leonard?" Sara asked, smirking up at him.

"You go right ahead," he drawled, her invitation causing him to feel as on fire as a man shrouded in ice could ever possibly feel.

"I'll watch." And I'll certainly enjoy the show, he thought, making him grin back at the small blonde girl.

"Suit yourself..." she laughed, handing him her beer. As she sauntered onto the dance floor alone, his smile faded, caught up in his thoughts. Sara Lance intrigued him. He knew she preferred girls, yet if his years as a con man had taught him anything, he knew that she was indeed flirting with him. He wanted to brush it off as the alcohol speaking, yet then again, didn't she have a fling with Oliver Queen ?

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted when she glanced at him and smiled, glad to see he was watching. And watch he did as a burly man swaggered up to Sara. This will not end well, he imagined, curious to see how the situation would play out. Following her every move, he stood aside as she easily took on and defeated half the bar.

Leonard heard a quiet chuckle from behind him, and turned to share a look of amusement with his partner. He realized that Mick knew exactly what was running through his mind – Leonard Snart liked this girl.

Throwing down their own drinks, the two rushed to join the brawl.

"I love the '70s!"

 

\---

 

_"Keep on dreaming, don't stop breathing, fight those demons / Sell your soul, not your whole self"_

 

_(1.1)_

 

"You got the wrong guy," Leonard scoffed as he strolled away from the small British man, "hero ain't on my resume."

"I know it's difficult for you to fathom," Rip Hunter called after him, "but from where – when – I'm from, the year 2166, you and everyone on this roof aren't just considered heroes – you're legends."

Snart stopped in his tracks, eyebrows raised. What Rip had said brought back to his mind an old conversation –

_"Today proved what I've always known. There's good in you, Snart. Yeah, you don't have to admit it to me, but there's a part of you that knows you don't have to let your past define you. A part of you that really wants to be more than just a criminal."_

_"So I should be a hero just like you, Barry?"_

"I am here because each of you, as individuals, is destined for greatness," Rip continued. "I could have chosen any time and any place. Of all the people in the world, I chose you. I certainly hope you won't let me, and the world, down. If your answer is yes, meet me here in thirty-six hours."

As the Englishman walked away, Snart and Rory stared at each other, both thinking the same thing, but both for different reasons.

 

\---

 

_"If they see it when you're sleeping, make them leave it / And I can't even see if it's all there anymore"_

 

_(1.9)_

 

"I may not have trusted you on the ship with the team, but I was always, always, coming back for you!" Leonard, frustrated, struggled against the cuffs on his wrists.

"Seems like one of us lost track of time," his former partner coldly replied, crouching in front of him.

"Well, how long did you..."

"By the time they found me, I'd nearly lost my mind!" Mick burst out, cutting off Snart's question. "I was so weak, I was strangling rats to survive!"

Shocked and confused by conflicting emotions he never asked for, Leonard sat in frozen silence.

 

\---

 

_"You're too mean, I don't like you, fuck you anyway / You make me wanna scream at the top of my lungs"_

 

_(1.6)_

 

"You son of a bitch!"

Leonard sighed. "Just calm down." He knew that Mick would be angry at being forced out of 2046, but wasn't prepared for the hate behind his partner's eyes.

"You lied to me!" Mick shouted, slamming himself against the electric barrier keeping him in his room.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Snart drawled, unfazed. "Remember the Del Ray Currency Exchange? The Blackhawk Armored Car job? If I hadn't lied to you on those scores, we'd both be in prison or dead." After pausing to gauge his friend's reaction, Leonard continued. "I'm the brains. You're the muscle. That's how it's always been. And, on occasion, I've had to call some audibles. You have a habit of getting in your own way, Mick."

Mick's rage still simmered. "You're right. You've lied to me about jobs before, but then again, you lied to me about this being a job. It's not about the score anymore for you. You'd rather save the world than be my partner... A real team player."

"Cause that's what it's gonna take."

"Then what?" asked Mick, becoming exasperated. "More money? More power? A life of leisure and sin? I don't want a parade! You know what I want from this world."

Snart swallowed, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "Yes, to see the world burn."

Mick Rory's voice echoed silently and deadly through the nearly empty corridor. "You lay a hand on me again, you'll burn too."

 

\---

 

_"It hurts but I won't fight you / You suck anyway / You make me wanna die"_

 

_(1.7)_

 

Leonard stood, alone in the misty forest, already regretting his decision. "I'll take care of it," he had said. The solitude of the dark woods gave him pause, watching his unconscious partner lying peacefully on the grass. He knew what he had to do, and he would have preferred to die than to exact punishment on his friend.

Kicking Mick, Snart turned away and waited for the traitor to wake up.

Groaning, Rory stood, resentfully saying "I told you that will be the last time you hit me."

His heart breaking, Leonard powered up his cold gun. "You were right."

"That the plan?" Mick asked, showing worry for the first time since the battle. "Take me out in the middle of nowhere, where no one can find the body?"

"I wish there were some other way, Mick," Snart whispered. Oh, how he wished there was another way. "But you're dangerous. A liability to the team."

"Team? You and I were a team!" Pausing, pain shone through Mick's eyes. "What happened to you?"

"People change."

"You think you're some kind of hero, but deep down you're still the same punk kid I saved in juvie. You haven't got the guts. You want to kill me?" Rory challenged, "Kill me. Only one of us is walking out of here alive."

"You're right." His world reeling, Leonard pulled the trigger.

 

\---

 

_"When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place / When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might end up being me"_

 

_(1.5)_

 

Although he wasn't in the courtyard, Leonard could hear everything over his comms.

"Vostok knows Stein is the other half of Firestorm. She's trying to merge with him." Frustrated with the Captain's silence, Sara continued. "Rip, once Stein is inside the reactor, he will become Soviet Firestorm. Do you copy??"

Leonard felt sick listening to the one-sided exchange. He had heard the life leave Sara's voice when she agreed to kill Stein if necessary, and he knew that killing another innocent man would destroy her.

"I have the shot," she said quietly.

Snart had had enough. "Sara, don't do it," he finally interjected.

"I don't have a choice," Sara replied miserably. "It's the only way to save Star City – the future."

Leonard's voice was soft, his signature drawl forgotten. "That's how a killer thinks, and that's not you anymore." _Come on, Sara,_ he silently prayed. _Stick with me. Pull through this._

As Stein entered the building, the relief from the friends echoed louder than Sara's bullet would have.

 

\---

 

_"Being me can only mean / Feeling scared to breathe"_

 

_(1.2)_

 

Leonard stood in his childhood home, looking around at the counters littered with beer bottles and coloring books. His smile faded as a small brown bear caught his attention – a childhood love long since forgotten.

"I came down for a glass of water," a small, steady voice said behind him.

Leonard turned around to see a small boy, standing in the dimly lit hallway.

"I'm Leo," his past self said. "Are you friends with my daddy?"

"Kind of," Snart replied, the memory of murdering his father flashing across his eyes.

"I think my daddy's sleeping," Leo explained, still staring up at the strange man in his living room.

Kneeling down in front of himself, Leonard was overcome with emotions he didn't even know he still had. "Can I tell you something, Leo?" he managed to say through the lump in his throat. "It's important."

When the boy nodded, he continued. "Don't ever let anyone hurt you. Ever. Not here..." pointing to his own head, "and especially, not here..." he whispered, pointing to his past self's heart while choking back tears. "No matter what, you always have to look out for yourself. Okay? You understand?"

"I think so."

 

\---

 

_"If you leave me then I'll be afraid of everything"_

 

_(1.15)_

 

Leonard strolled into Sara's room, holding up a pack of cards.

"Not in the mood," she said, turning stonily toward the wall.

He sighed. "I was gonna apologize for pulling a gun on you, but apparently I was just following a script."

"Doesn't make you any less of a jerk," Sara retorted, still refusing to look at him.

"...Guilty," he admitted, wanting to change the subject. Leonard Snart didn't do apologies. "So what do we think of Rip's plan?"

Finally turning to face him, Sara asked, "Does it matter? Apparently, everything we're going to do has already been predetermined by Rip's former bosses."

Snart laughed cynically. "It's funny, I've always prided myself on being the guy who doesn't play by the rules. Come to find out, I'm the one being played."

"I don't know," she sighed, "I still feel responsible for everything I've done. And it still keeps me up at night."

"It's the things I didn't do that keep me up at night," Snart returned, leaning on the bed next to Sara.

"What's that?" she asked. "Oh... I don't know... Maybe it's being on this ship, traveling through time. I started to wonder what the future might hold for me... and you... and me and you..." Leonard looked up into her eyes, purposefully keeping his face stony.

She smirked and leaned toward him. "You want to steal a kiss from me, Leonard? You better be one hell of a thief."

Leonard smiled as she walked out of the room.

 

\---

 

_"That makes me anxious, gives me patience, calms me down, lets me face this / Let me sleep"_

 

_(1.15)_

 

"We're leaving!"

Leonard looked up from the battle to see Rip and Jax running towards the ship, past where he and Sara were fighting side by side. "Where's Raymond and Mick??"

The captain spun to look at him, explaining, "Ray is in my pocket, and Mick has elected to stay."

"Why?"

"Someone needs to be present to destroy the Oculus. Mick has elected himself." Glancing around and scanning for enemies, Rip threw up his hands in exasperation as both Snart and Sara raced toward the Oculus. "No, you can't! There isn't time!"

"We gotta go!" Jax yelled after them.

Once inside the building which housed the Oculus, Leonard and Sara gunned down the guards threatening Mick.

Running up the ramp towards him, Snart had to shout to be heard. "Mick!"

"Get outta here!" the former thief ordered.

"Not without you, Mick."

Looking at him, Mick could see the urgency in his friend's face. "Pretty boy said I gotta hold this stick for the ship to blow. So I'm holding this stick. Now leave!"

Leonard, sighing in pain and frustration, said quietly to his partner, "My old friend, please forgive me."

"For what?" Leonard hit Rory hard and pushed him to the floor below.

This truly would be the last time he hit his partner.

 

\---

 

_"And when I wake up / Let me be"_

 

_(1.15)_

 

"Get him outta here!" Leonard yelled to Sara, gesturing to the unconscious Mick with his free hand.

"No!" she replied, in shock over how wrong their plans had gone.

"Just do it," he said again, staring at the girl who had stolen his heart and melted it out of the block of ice it had been encased in for forty-four years. Talk about a hell of a thief, he thought bitterly. No one else could ever steal from Leonard Snart.

Staring back at him, Sara made up her mind. Surging toward him, she held him close and kissed him. It was long and bitter-sweet, as both knew that this would be the last memory Leonard Snart would ever make.

Breaking away, Sara dragged Rory toward the ship, never looking back. She knew that if she did, she would not leave.

Time seemed frozen until the Time Masters burst into the room. "Shut it down! _Shut it down!_ "

Leonard smiled, the heat from Sara's kiss still coursing through him. The infamous Captain Cold was in flames.

He grinned as the wave of blue light hit him. "There are no strings on me."

 

\---

 

_"When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might take my place / When I wake up I'm afraid / Somebody else might start being me"_

 

_(1.15, 1.16)_

 

The cold of the void was a hundred times more empty than anything Leonard had ever experienced. _Like everyone I know is a million miles away_ , he realized. Is this what death is like? Regret?

Floating endlessly through the blinding darkness, the ice fortress which Leonard had hidden in his entire life melted. Pain flooded his mind as he thought of Lisa, of Mick, of Sara. _I'm sorry,_ he sobbed, unable to hear his own voice.

To his shock, Ray's voice came floating back, increasing in intensity as he listened. "He traded his life for ours. He was a hero. Which I'm pretty sure is the last thing he wanted to be remembered as."

"But that's what he was."

The thrill of hearing Sara's voice made the darkness stop its whirling.

_Sara... She's in pain. She's crying... I caused this._

Abruptly, the voices ceased, and Leonard was again left alone in agony.

After what seemed like an eternity, the silence was interrupted a second time.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" His own voice sounded in his mind, something he was not used to hearing.

"Wasn't sure you'd make it."

Leonard, frozen in the vastness of eternity, wanted to scream at the sound of his best friend's voice.

"You left me a message, I came, what of it?"

 _Is that... me?_ he wondered, overcome with helplessness. _Why is that me? How is Mick talking to me? How...?_

"I... just wanted to talk." The ex-con sounded gruffer than usual, almost as if he were holding in tears. "You and I, we've done a lot of thieving, a lot of cool stuff, a lot of fun... Anyway, I, uh... I just wanted to make sure I said something important that... wasn't left unsaid."

"Mick, I don't do touchy-feely. If you got something to say, say it."

"This wasn't a good idea..." Silence. Then, "You're the best guy I ever knew. You may not think you're a hero, but... you're a hero to me. You got that?"

"...Yeah, I got it."

"See you around."

When the voices finally faded, Leonard's shock outweighed the numbing cold.

_I'm a hero._

_To Mick._

_To Sara._

_…_

_I have to get back._


End file.
